Low barrel revolver



Apnl 3, 1962 J. R. OLIVER LOW BARREL REVOLVER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledMarch 26, 1957 INVENTOR. JOHN R. OLIVER BY fut, Qua/M I AT TORNE YS l 3,1962 J. R. OLIVER 3,027,673

LOW BARREL REVOLVER Filed March 26, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

JOHN R. OLIVER ATTORNEYS April 3, 1962 J. R. OLIVER LOW BARREL REVOLVER4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

JOHN R. OLIVER BY @QWMM FIG. 18

Filed March 26, 1957 FIG.

ATTORNEYS April 3, 1962 J. R. OLIVER LOW BARREL REVOLVER 4 Sheets-Sheet4 Filed March 26, 1957 FIG. 14

INVENTOR. JOHN R. OLIVER BY @zitax ATTORNEYS United States Patent3,027,673 LOW BARREL REVOLVER John R. Oliver, Boston, Mass. (3371 MainRoad, Tiverton, R.I.) Filed Mar. 26, 1957, Ser. No. 648,569 8 Claims.(Cl. 42-65) This invention relates to revolvers and more particularly toa revolver having its barrel located in line with the bottom instead ofthe top chamber of the cylinder.

'It is well recognized that the accuracy with which a gun is fired at atarget is affected by the recoil force of the gun. In conventionalrevolvers the barrel is located in line with the top chamber of thecylinder, so that when the revolver is aimed and fired the recoil forceof the pistol is in a line above the users arm. The recoil force acts tomake the users shooting arm bend at the wrist and elbow, throwing thepistol upwardly out of control so as to spoil the accuracy with whichthe gun was aimed. This difficulty is even more bothersome during rapidfiring of the revolver for the speed with which the revolver is firedmust be curbed to allow the revolver to be re-aimed after every shot. Itis recognized that if the recoil force could be placed more nearly inline with the shooters arm, the tendency of the pistol to kick upwardlywould be materially reduced with an attendant increase in accuracy. Itis also recognized that if the recoil force could be rapidly dissipatedor absorbed, still further increase in accuracy would be achieved.

Accordingly, one of the primary objects of this invention is to providea revolver that is so constructed that the recoil force is more nearlyin line with the shooters arm, whereby the revolver may be dischargedwith greater accuracy, especially under conditions of rapid firing.

Another primary object of this invention is to provide a revolver thatis so constructed that the barrel and cylinder shift as a unit relativeto the handle when the revolver is fired, thereby greatly reducing theeffect of the recoil force on the handle and the shooters arm.

A more particular object of this invention is to provide a. revolverhaving its barrel located in a line with the bottom chamber of itscylinder and mounted on the frame so that it may be swung laterally andupwardly for loading and subsequent removal of empty shells.

Another object of this invention is to provide a low barrel revolverwhich includes as part thereof a new and improved double-action firingmechanism.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a new and improveddouble-action firing mechanism for a revolver of the type having itsbarrel located in line with the bottommost chamber of its cylinder, thefiring mechanism comprising a hammer pivoted to the frame above the axisof the cylinder and having a firing pin for firing a bullet positionedin the bottom chamber of the cylinder, a trigger, a pivoted sear forlocking the hammer in elevated handcocked position, the sear beingmovable by the trigger to release the hammer, a stirrup connected to thehammer, spring means for causing the stirrup to swing the hammer tofiring position when the hammer is released by the sear, meansassociated with the trigger for moving the stirrup to elevate the hammerto a point short of full cocked position when the trigger is pulled, themeans associated with the trigger arranged to thereafter clear thestirrup when said hammer is in elevated position short of full cockedposition, thereby to allow the stirrup under the influence of the springto return the hammer to firing position, a hand for indexing thecylinder one chamber each time the hammer is raised, and a bolt forlocking the cylinder after it has been indexed one chamber by the hand.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood byreference to the following detailed description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a revolver constructed according to thepresent invention, with a portion of the revolver broken away in sectionto show the elements of its firing mechanism approximately in theirnormal at rest position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, similar to FIG. 1, showing the initialmovement of the hammer as it is raised by movement of the trigger duringfast firing operation;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the hammer and triggerin hand cocked position;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing how the trigger pivotsthe sear to release the hammer from hand cocked position;

FIG. 5 is a rear elevation of the revolver of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 2, showing howthe hinged plate to which the cylinder is attached can be swung awayfrom the revolver frame to unload and reload the cylinder;

FIG. 8 is a front view in elevation of the barrel;

FIG. 9 is a top sectional view taken along line 99 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 2 prior toany trigger movement;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the elements of the firing mechanism.

FIG. 15 is a side elevation of the same revolver showing the locationand certain details of the releasable latch provided to lock thecylinder in firing position within the gun frame.

FIG. 16 is a vertical section taken along line 16-16 of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the cylinder latch when removed fromthe revolver and,

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the removed latch of FIG. 17 taken froma different vantage point.

The revolver comprises two main body parts, a cylinder frame section 2and a trigger frame section 4. The cylinder frame section supports thebarrel and the cylinder. The barrel indicated at 6 has integral with itstop side a long narrow fin 8 with an upper edge flange 9. As seen inFIGS. 1 and 9, the enlarged forward end of the fin is bifurcated toprovide two spaced flanges 10 and 12, the forward ends of which aregrooved vertically to provide a dovetail section for receiving adovetail flange 14 of a forward sighting element 16. A set screw 18draws flanges 10 and 12 together to lock the sight 16 in verticallyadjusted position. The upper end of sight 16 has a narrow bead 20clearly visible for sighting purposes above the fin 8. Bead 20 is viewedin sighting through a longitudinal groove 22 in the frame section overthe cylinder. A cooperating rear notched sight 24 is held in place byset screws 26 and with bead 20 helps the shooter to aim the revolver.

At the rear end of the barrel 6 the cylinder frame section 2 is providedwith a large rectangular transverse opening 28 to receive a cylinder 30.Rearwardly of opening 28 cylinder frame 2 has a vertical cavity as at 32to receive certain elements of the firing mechanism, including a hammer34.

Cylinder frame section 2 is cut away at 35 (FIG. 7) on the barrel sideof opening 28. Fitting in this cut away area is a cylinder carrying arm36 hinged to frame section 2 by a pivot 38. This arm serves the purposeof carrying the cylinder from firing to loading position and vice versa.

Extending through arm 36 is a long small diameter pin 39 on whichcylinder rotatably mounted while maintained longitudinally within theconfines of opening 28. Fin 8 is cut away as at 40 to accommodate theforward end of the pin. The forward end of the cylinder 30 is providedwith a concentric collar 42 which surrounds pin 39 and rotatably engagesthe rear face of plate 36 to permit easy rotation of the cylinder. Atits rear end pin 39 carries a shell ejector 44 which normally resides ina correspondingly shaped depression in the rear face of cylinder 30. Therear face of shell ejector 44 is provided with a small ratchet gear 46'whose teeth are so shaped as to cause the cylinder to be rotatedclockwise (FIG. 12) by a hand element described hereinafter. At thecenter of its rear face gear 46 has a small cavity 48 adapted to receivea stud 188 carried by a cylinder latch 176 described hereinafter. Whenstud 188 is released by movement to the rear of the cylinder latch,cylinder 30 can be swung laterally out of the cylinder opening 28 (seeposition of plate 36 in FIG. 7) for loading and unloading purposes. Thecylinder is unloaded by pushing pin 39 rearwardly with respect to thecylinder. This forces the ejector plate 44 away from the rear face ofthe cylinder to eject the empty shells. Then the ejector is returned toits normal position in the rear face of the cylinder and the cylinder isreloaded and swung back into cylinder opening 28. In the illustratedembodiment the ejector is moved back into the depression in the rearface of the cylinder by pulling pin 39 forward and with the cylinder infiring position is maintained in this position by the cylinder latch 176hereinafter described. However, it is to be understood that suitablespring means may be provided which will automatically return the ejectorplate to its normal position when pin 39 is released.

The lower edge of the rear section of cylinder frame 2 is provided withan inverted undercut groove 50 designed to cooperate with acorresponding tongue 56 on the forward portion of trigger frame 4whereby the cylinder frame and the trigger frame may slidelongitudinally with respect to each other. At its rear end tongue 56 istransversely slotted as at 58 to receive the bottom end of a recoilcushioning member 54 while a vertical extension 60 on frame section 4supports the rear vertical side. The top and front faces of cushion 54are engaged by corresponding surfaces on the rear of frame 2.

The two frame elements are brought into operative relation by slidingcylinder frame 2 onto trigger frame 4, the tongue 56 mating with groove50. The bottom edge of cylinder frame 2 just forwardly of opening 28 isprovided with an elongated slot 62 (FIG. 2). Trigger frame member 4 isprovided with a tapped hole which receives a set screw 64, the upper endof which extends into slot 62 thus preventing longitudinal disengagementof the frames while permitting limited relative longitudinal movement.Normally cylinder frame section 2 is so positioned relative to triggerframe section 4 that set screw 64 projects into the rear end of slot 62.This normal position is maintained by cushion member 54 which beingunder pressure constantly urges the two frame members away from eachother. When the revolver is fired, the recoil force drives cylinderframe 2 rearwardly relative to trigger frame section 4, compressingcushion member 54. The cushion member 54 absorbs a substantial portionof the recoil force of the gun, thereby limiting the elfect of therecoil on the accuracy of fire.

Trigger frame section 4 comprises a trigger guard 66 and a handleportion 68 and is slotted at 70 to accommodate certain elements of thefiring mechanism. Suitable handle side covers and gripping elements 71are secured to handle portion 68.

The firing mechanism comprises the following elements: hammer 34,stirrup 72, sear 74, compression spring 76, hand spring 79, main spring80, trigger 82, cylinder bolt 84, and cylinder bolt spring 85. Thearrangement of these elements may be most clearly seen in FIG. 14.Hammer 34 is pivoted at 88 in back of the top chamber of the cylinderand is provided with a pointed firing pin 90. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 3,the hammer pivots upwardly and rearwardly from the firing positionwherein the firing pin points forwardly, to a cocked position whereinthe firing pin points downwardly at an inclined angle. Hammer 34 isprovided with a finger gripper lip 94 whose underside is knurled as at96. To cock hammer 94- the user places his thumb below lip 94 inengagement with knurled surface 96 and pivots the hammer upwardly fromthe position of FIG. 1 to the position of FIG. 3.

Stirrup 72 is bifurcated so as to provide two spaced arms 98 and 100.Both arms are pivotally secured at their top ends to hammer 34 by apivot pin 102. Extending to a point between the arms and secured totheir lower ends by a pivot pin 104 is the forward end of main spring80. Main spring projects rearwardly through slot 70 into the handlesection 68 and is secured in place in the handle by means of aconventional tension adjusting member 106.

Trigger 82 is pivotally connected to frame section 4 by a pivot pin 110.The rear end of trigger 82 is notched horizontally as at 114 to providea rearwardly extending lip 116 and is notched vertically at 118 toprovide two spaced legs 120 and 122. Stirrup 72 is provided with a shortforwardly extending arm 124 which, when the gun is uncocked, extendsover lip 116 of trigger 82. See FIGS. 1 and 14.

Sear 74 serves the purpose of holding the hammer in cocked position andis pivoted to cylinder frame 2 by means of a shaft 130. The upperportion of sear 74 extends into a curved groove 132 provided along therear edge of hammer 34. The top end of sear 74 is notched as at 134.Hammer 34 is provided with a full cock notch 136 at the lower end of thegroove 132. The scar has connected thereto a forwardly extending leverarm 119 which passes between the arms of the stirrup and the short legs120 and 122 of the trigger and is provided with a crosswise extendingpin 138 which resides in slot 114 of trigger 82. Sear 74 is urgedforward against hammer 34 by a compression spring 76 seated in a smallhole in cylinder frame 2.

Hand 78 which acts to index the cylinder is pivoted to sear 74 betweenshaft and pin 138 by a pivot pin 140. Formed integral with hand 78 is ashort laterally extending flange 142 which is engaged on its undersideby a leaf spring 79, the rear end of which is secured to sear 74 andextends forwardly therefrom between the arms 98 and 100 of stirrup 74.Spring 79 acts against the flange 142 in such manner that the top end ofthe hand 78 is continuously urged forwardly to be in engagement withratchet gear 46. A stop 144 limits the counterclockwise movement of sear74 and also guides the movement of the lower end of stirrup 72.

The cylinder bolt 84, previously referred to, is secured to triggerframe 4 by a pivot pin 146. This bolt is provided with an upwardlyturned projection 148 at its rear end which is adapted upon upwardmovement to enter into the sloping circumferential notches 150 in theperiphery of cylinder 30. The notches 150 commence flush with theperiphery of cylinder 30 and terminate abruptly at a depression ofgreater depth as at 152 and in cooperation with bolt 84 and the indexingmechanism serve to align successively each bullet chamber of thecylinder with the barrel. Each notch is of course in the same relativeposition with its bullet chamber.

The forward end of bolt 84 is engaged by a small compression spring 85seated in a cavity in cylinder frame section 2. Spring 85 acts to pressprojection 148 up into engagement with the outer surface of cylinder 30so that as the cylinder is rotated projection 148 will automaticallyenter the next oncoming notch 158. The cylinder will be stopped andlocked by bolt 84 when projection 148 enters the deeper depression 152at the end of notch 150.

In order to remove projection 148 from notch 158 so that the cylindermay be indexed to the next firing position, the following mechanism isprovided. The underside of bolt 84 has a rearwardly extending taperedlip 154. This cooperates with a movable pin 158 projecting upwardly andforwardly out of the trigger. A small compression spring supports theinner end of pin 158. The outer end of pin 158 is tapered as at 168(FIG. 3). When the trigger is at rest in its forward position (FIG. 1)the end of pin 158 overlaps lip 154 but does not prevent spring 85 frompressing projection 148 against the cylinder and into notch 150. Thus ifthe trigger is at rest and the cylinder is positioned so that one of itsnotches 152 is positioned directly over projection 148, spring 85 willhold projection 148 in the notch and thereby lock the cylinder againstclockwise rotation (FIG. 11). However, when the trigger is pulledrearwardly a slight amount pin 158 will press against lip 154 and pivotthe bolt 84 clockwise (FIG. 1) to free the cylinder. As the trigger ismoved further pin 158 will slide past lip 154, allowing the spring 85 tomove projection 148 back into pressing engagement with the exteriorsurface of cylinder 30 (FIG. 2) which has now rotated slightly. Thuswhen the next batch 150 approaches projection 148, the latter will enterthe notch but will not stop rotation of the cylinder until it slips intothe deeper terminal notch 152. When the trigger is released and movesforward again, pin 158 on encountering lip 154 will be displacedlengthwise to snap past lip 154 to its original position (FIG. 1), thespring 156 being compressed to permit this action.

Referring now to FIGS. 15-18, a latch element is provided that holds thecylinder in operative position in opening 28 without impeding itsrotation. The latch element is designated generally by numeral 176. Itcomprises a body portion 178 provided at its front end with an outwardlyextending flange 180 whose edge 182 is curved to correspond to thecurvature of cylinder 38. At its front end, body portion 178 has alaterally extending connecting portion 184 provided with a fiattransversely extending plate 186. The latter is provided on its frontsurface with a cylindrical stud 188. The underside of connecting portion184 and the face of plate 186 is slotted as at 190. Plate 186 has ashort projection 192 that extends toward body portion 178.

Latch element 176 is attached to cylinder frame 2 in a manner permittingsufiicient rearward movement to free cylinder 30 of stud 188. One wallof frame 2 is provided with an elongated mortise-type slot 194 thatextends rearwardly from cylinder opening 28. The connecting portion 184of the latch element extends through slot 194. Top and bottom surfacesof connecting portion 184 are beveled as at 196 and 198 so as to matewith the top and bottom beveled edges of slot 194. The result is atongue and groove relationship whereby the latch element may sliderearwardly a limited distance in the cylinder frame.

Removably secured in a tapped opening in the side wall of the cylinderframe 2 is a screw 2%. The head of the screw is located in a slot 202provided in the latch element. The length of slot 282 determines thedistance through which the latch element can be moved relative to thecylinder frame. Extending lengthwise through the body of the latchelement is a small bore 203 in which a compression spring 204 islocated. Attached to one end of the spring is a small ball 206 thatengages the side of the head of screw 200. The forward end of bore 203is threaded to receive a short screw 208 which holds the spring inplace. Spring 204 urges the latch element forward to maintain the stud188 in the round opening 48 provided in the rear face of gear 46. Stud188 acts to prevent the cylinder from being swung out of cylinderopening 28 but does not prevent it from being rotated by hand 78. Whenit is desired to reload the cylinder, the latter is released by pushingthe latch element rearwardly. When the latch element is released it isreturned by spring 204 to its forward cylinder-holding position (FIG.15). It is to be noted that the outer surface of the latch element isknurled at 210 to assure ready release of the cylinder.

The latch element does not interfere with the hammer or any of the otherelements of the firing mechanism. As shown in. FIG. 1 the connectingportion 184 of the latch element is spaced from the hammer even when thelatter is in its forward firing position. FIGS. l-4 illustrate thepurpose of slot 190 and projection 192 of the latch element. The hand 78extends up through the slot behind projection 192 and engages theratchet gear. Because the hand is to one side of the cylinder axis, thecylinder cannot be swung out to reloading position unless hand 78 ismoved rearwardly away from gear 46. This is taken care of by projection192. When the latch element is shifted rearwardly to withdraw stud 188,projection 192 engages the forward edge of the hand and moves itrearwardly about its pivot 140 clear of the gear. As the hand is movedrearward it biases leaf spring 78. Thus when the latch element returnsto its forward position, spring 79 urges the hand in the same directionto place it back into engagement with the ratchet gear 46.

Operation of the revolver is as follows:

(1) Hand c0cking.-In this method of operation, the hammer 34 is liftedby placing the thumb under lip 94. As the hammer is lifted from itsuncooked position (FIG. 1), it cams sear 74 rearwardly against the forceof spring 76 and at the same time, through arm 119 and pin 138 causestrigger 82 to swing rearwandly. Stirrup 72 moves upward with the hammeragainst the pull of main spring 80. As soon as the full cock notch 136of the hammer rises above forked end 134 of the sear, the sear springsforward into the notch 136 to hold the hammer in full cocked position(FIG. 3). In this position the arm 124 of the stirrup is above and tothe rear of lip 116 just sufiiciently to allow the stirrup to be snappeddownwardly by spring when the revolver is fired by further movement ofthe trigger.

It is to be noted that when the sear is pivoted rearwardly throughraising of the hammer it pivots the trigger in the same direction. Assoon as the trigger is moved, pin 158 acts downwardly on lip 154 of bolt84 to rotate the latter clockwise removing projection 148 from notch152, This allOWs the cylinder to be indexed by upward movement of hand78 which is operated simultaneously by the sear. Hand 78 in engagementwith one tooth of gear 46 rotates cylinder 36 one chamber, that is,onesixth of a revolution. As soon as the pin 158 clears the bolt, andthis occurs immediately after the bolt has been pivoted away from thecylinder and the cylinder has begun to rotate, the bolt is pivoted byspring 85 back into engagement with the rotating cylinder and soonenters the next slot 152. With the hammer cocked as in FIG. 3, bolt 84and hand 78 cooperate to hold the cylinder stationary with thebottommost chamber in alignment with barrel 6.

Thereafter when trigger 82 is squeezed to fire the revolver, it pivotssear 74 rearwardly to move it out of hammer notch 136. FIG. 4 shows thesear just before its forked end 134 is clear of notch 136. As soon asthe sear clears the notch, spring 80 instantly pulls stirrup 72downward, thereby causing the hammer to pivot downward and forward sothat firing pin will strike the cap of the bullet in the bottommostchamber of the cylinder, thereby firing the bullet. It is to be notedwhen the trigger is squeezed to fire the revolver, its lip 116 movesslightly further forward beyond stirrup projection 124, therebyeliminating any interference with the stirrup as it is pulled by spring80 down to its original position when sear 74 is moved clear of notch136. After the trigger is released, spring 76 acts to move sear 74forward to the extent permitted by the curved groove 132 in the rearedge of hammer 34. This acts to pivot trigger 82 forward to its originalposition. As the trigger 82 swings forward, its lip 116 engages thebeveled end of stirrup arm 124, camming the lower end of the stirruprearwardly enough to allow lip 116 to return to its original position(FIG. 1). Stirrup 72 is able to yield be cause it is pivoted at itsupper end by pin 102 to hammer 30 and secured at its other end to spring80. Pivot pin 130 of the sear limits rearward movement of stirrup 72.Guide pin 144 limits upward movement of hammer 34, although permittingthe hammer to be raised just high enough to allow the forked end of thesear to enter the full cock notch 136. Pin 144 also limits the extent towhich arm 124 can extend forward over lip 116 of the trigger when thetrigger and stirrup are in their at-rest positions (FIG. 1).

(2) Fast firing.-In this method of operation the shooter need not cockthe hammer. Instead he merely pulls the trigger to actuate the hammer.When the trigger is pulled, its lip 116 bears against arm 124 to liftthe stirrup 72. This in turn raises the hammer, The trigger also pivotsthe sear rearwardly so as to allow the hammer to be lifted readily bythe stirrup. As the stirrup moves upwardly it is cammed rearwardly alimited amount by guide pin 144 acting against its forward edge. At thesame time lip 116 of the trigger swings counterclockwise about axis. Ata predetermined point the lip 116 clears arm 124. This takes placebefore the hammer is raised high enough to allow sear 74 to snap forwardinto notch 136. FIG. 2 shows the position of the various elements of thefiring mechanism shortly before the lip 116 of the trigger clearsstirrup arm 124. As soon as the lip clears arm 124, spring 80 pulls thestirrup down, causing the hammer to swing downward and forward to firethe bullet in the bottom chamber of cylinder 30. Spring 76 moves sear 74forward again as soon as the trigger is released, and this forwardmovement of the sear causes the trigger to return to its originalposition. As described previously, stirrup 72 yields rearwardly to allowlip 116 of the trigger to clear arm 124 as the trigger returns to itsnormal at-rest position. Thereafter the revolver may be fired again inthe same manner, The revolver may be fired as fast as the mechanismreturns the stirrup and trigger to the position shown in FIG. 1. Hand 78 and cylinder bolt 84 operate to index the cylinder in the same manneras when the revolver is cocked by lifting the hammer with the thumb.

With a revolver constructed as described it is possible to shoot withgreater accuracy than is possible with conventional revolvers. This isdue (1) to the fact that the low barrel places the recoil force more inline with the shooters arm; (b) to the fact that a substantial portionof the recoil force is cushioned or absorbed by resilient pad 76; and(c) to the fact that the firing mechanism works smoothly, rapidly, andeasily. Additionally, the loading and unloading may be accomplished in aconventional manner with the cylinder arranged to be swung outwardly andupwardly after unlatching by rearward movement of latch 176.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings. Therefore, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited in its application to thedetails of construction and arrangement of parts specifically describedor illustrated, and that within the scope of the appended claims it maybe practised otherwise than as specifically described or illustrated.

I claim:

1. A revolver comprising a barrel, a cylinder, a supporting frame and adouble-action firing mechanism, said mechanism comprising a hammerhaving a firing pin and a full cock notch, said hammer being pivoted toswing upwardly and rearwardly, a trigger pivotally mounted on said framebelow said hammer, a scar pivoted to said frame and having a lower arm,a compression spring bearing against said sear urging said upper endtoward said hammer, whereby when said hammer is manually pivoted througha sufficient arc the upper end of said sear will automatically move intosaid full cock notch and hold said hammer in cocked position, the saidlower arm of said sear being engaged by said trigger rearwardly of thepivot point of said trigger and being movable by said trigger so as towithdraw said sear from said full cock notch to free said hammer whensaid trigger is moved to firing position, a stirrup pivotally connectedto said hammer and extending downwardly toward said trigger, a springconnected to said stirrup and urging said stirrup downward whereby whensaid sear is withdrawn from said full cock notch said hammer isinstantly pulled by said stirrup down to firing position, a forwardlyextending projection on the lower end of said stirrup, and a rearwardlyextending projection on said trigger, said stirrup projection extendingover said trigger projection when said trigger is in at-rest position,whereby when said trigger is pulled back said trigger projection willengage said stirrup projection to move said stirrup upwardly against thebias of said spring so as to pivot said hammer to a firing position,said stirrup projection further having its length short enough to becleared by said trigger projection when said trigger has been pulledback far enough, thereby allowing said spring to pull said stirrupdownwardly to return said hammer to firing position, said trigger beingreturnable to said at-rest position by said scar and said stirrup beingshiftable rearwardly by said trigger projection when said trigger ismoved from firing position back toward said at-rest position, thereby toallow said trigger projection to clear said stirrup projection so thatsaid trigger may return fully to said 'at-rest position.

2. A revolver comprising a cylinder, a frame having a barrel and atransverse opening behind said barrel for receiving said cylinder, aplate, means carried by said plate rot-atably supporting said cylinder,hinge means connecting said plate to said frame whereby said plate maybe swung into and out of said transverse opening, a cartridge ejectorcarried by said cylinder, said ejector having a ratchet gear fixed onits rear surface, said gear having a small depression at the center ofits rear face, said frame having an interior cavity rearward of andcommunicating with said transverse opening, a firing mechanism carriedby said frame including a hammer pivoted to swing upwardly and providedwith a firing pin, a trigger, means operated by said trigger for causingsaid hammer to fire a cartridge in said cylinder, a hand for engagingsaid ratchet gear to index said cylinder a predetermined amountsuflicient to advance a new cartridge into firing position as saidhammer is raised, releasable latch means for preventing said cylinderfrom being swung out of said transverse opening, said releasable meanscomprising a lateral body section extending into said cavity through aside opening in said frame, a stud member on the front face of the innerend of said lateral body section normally projecting into the depressionin said ratchet gear, and spring means urging said body section forwardto keep said stud in said depression, said body section having a portionextending outside of said frame whereby it may be forced manually awayfrom said ratchet gear to allow said cylinder to be swung out of saidtransverse opening.

3. A revolver as defined by claim 2, wherein said body section includesmeans for disengaging said hand from said ratchet gear when said bodysection is moved rearwardly to release said cylinder.

4. A revolver comprising first and second frame sections, said firstframe section including a barrel, hammer,

and a cylinder wherein the barrel is in line with the bottommost chamberof the cylinder, said second frame section including a trigger and ahandle, said frame sections being secured to each other by meanspermitting said first frame section to move relative to said secondframe section along a path parallel to the axis of said barrel, andabsorbing means between said frame sections for absorbing the recoil ofsaid first frame section as it moves rearwardly upon firing, saidcylinder being pivoted to swing laterally in an upward are, said hammerbeing pivoted to said upper first frame above the axis of said cylinderand having a firing pin, said hammer and firing pin pivoting downwardlyand forwardly when actuated by said trigger to fire a cartridgepositioned in said bottommost chamber.

5. A double action revolver comprising a first frame having thereon abarrel, a cylinder and a hammer having a firing pin for firing acartridge in the bottommost chamber of said cylinder, a second framehaving thereon a trigger, a spring for actuating said hammer and meansextending from one frame to the other actuated by said trigger forraising and releasing said hammer and for indexing said cylinder whilesaid hammer is being raised, said hammer being pivoted to said firstframe above the axis of said cylinder to swing downwardly on said pivotto fire said cartridge; said first frame being longitudinally slideablymoveable on said second frame; shock absorbing means being providedbetween said frames.

6. A low barrel revolver comprising a barrel and a cylinder framesecured thereto, a rotatable cylinder mounted on said frame and having aplurality of cartridge receiving openings with the lowermost openingaligned with said barrel, an arm pivoted to said cylinder frame andcarrying a shaft on which said cylinder rotates, said arm beingswingable laterally whereby said cylinder may be swung in an upward arcto a side position for loading and unloading, a trigger frame secured insliding relation to said cylinder frame, double action firing mechanismcomprising a trigger mounted on said trigger frame, a hammer connects tosaid cylinder frame by a pivot positioned above the axis of saidcylinder and cooperating elements therebetween, said hammer having afiring pin extending forwardly therefrom, said hammer and firing pinswinging downwardly and forwardly on said pivot when actuated by saidtrigger to fire a cartridge positioned in said lowermost opening;shock-absorbing means being provided between said frames.

7. A revolver as set forth in claim 6 in which said cooperating elementscomprise a stirrup pivoted to said hammer and movable by said trigger toswing said hammer upwardly, a sear pivoted to said cylinder frame forlatching said hammer in cocked position when said hammer has been raisedmanually a sufiicient distance, a spring for snapping said hammer tofiring position when said stirrup is freed from said trigger and meansfor indexing said cylinder as said hammer is being raised.

8. A double action low barrel revolver comprising a barrel and acylinder wherein the barrel is in line with the bottommost chamber ofthe cylinder, a cylinder supporting frame and a trigger frame, saidframes longitudinally movable with respect to each other a predeterminedlimited distance, a cushion positioned between said frames for absorbingrearward movement of said barrel, cylinder frame and cylinder as itmoves rearwardly toward said trigger frame upon firing and firingmechanism comprising a hammer pivoted on said cylinder frame, above theaxis of said cylinder, a trigger on said trigger frame and meansactuated by said trigger for simultaneously raising said hammer andindexing said cylinder and other means for snapping said hammer tofiring position after said trigger has swung rearwardly through asufiicient arc, said hammer having a firing pin extending forwardlytherefrom, said hammer and firing pin swinging downwardly and forwardlyon said pivot when actuated by said trigger to fire a cartridgepositioned in said bottommost chamber.

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